Around 6 am on the morning of November 5th 2008 in Brussels, I was amazed to find my eyes welling up with tears and a small pit in my stomach forming. I sat transfixed by the television watching Barack Hussein Obama accept his election as the first black president of the United States of America. I was moved to the core. And I knew I was watching history.
To me Obama represented the hope that every person harbours in his or her heart that anybody, no matter the odds, can aspire to greatness whatever the obstacles, without regard to skin colour. For every descendent of a slave, or every child of a people who were bound under colonial rule, Obama represented the fruition of all our hopes. We can rise to become equals with - even lead - our past oppressors if we persevere and above all if we give up the politics of hate and repression.
For once in my life, I was watching a politician who was dignified and who stood for important ideals. Foremost, this was a man who understood and accepted the duties and responsibilities of his office. Obama said, "But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."
Not every politican is so. I remember at Yale having attended a commencement speech in 2001 given by George W. Bush. True, the circumstances were different and Bush faced a somewhat hostile crowd - already at that time he was deeply popular amongst certain student groups. Still, the contrast in the messages they wished to convey to the people they led couldn't have been greater. Bush did not seek to inspire the students but instead only attempted to defray their hostility with humour. I will always remember when he referred to his less than stellar academic record by advising students, "And to you 'C' students, you too can be president of the United States." What kind of exhortation is that to the youth of our country?
I fervently hope that Obama will live up to his place in history. I desperately long for him to be the great leader we need in these difficult times. I expectantly pray that he will unite his country and the world to bring about real change.
To me Obama represented the hope that every person harbours in his or her heart that anybody, no matter the odds, can aspire to greatness whatever the obstacles, without regard to skin colour. For every descendent of a slave, or every child of a people who were bound under colonial rule, Obama represented the fruition of all our hopes. We can rise to become equals with - even lead - our past oppressors if we persevere and above all if we give up the politics of hate and repression.
For once in my life, I was watching a politician who was dignified and who stood for important ideals. Foremost, this was a man who understood and accepted the duties and responsibilities of his office. Obama said, "But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."
Not every politican is so. I remember at Yale having attended a commencement speech in 2001 given by George W. Bush. True, the circumstances were different and Bush faced a somewhat hostile crowd - already at that time he was deeply popular amongst certain student groups. Still, the contrast in the messages they wished to convey to the people they led couldn't have been greater. Bush did not seek to inspire the students but instead only attempted to defray their hostility with humour. I will always remember when he referred to his less than stellar academic record by advising students, "And to you 'C' students, you too can be president of the United States." What kind of exhortation is that to the youth of our country?
I fervently hope that Obama will live up to his place in history. I desperately long for him to be the great leader we need in these difficult times. I expectantly pray that he will unite his country and the world to bring about real change.
